While the rest of NYC strutted down 6th Avenue for the annual Halloween parade, I was on my way to Prague via Madrid. It’s been a few years since I visited, but the MAD airport architecture is just as amazing as I remembered. Infinitely better than the cronut I had while waiting for my connecting flight.

Almudena Cathedral is Madrid’s first Cathedral when the capital moved from Toledo.

On my way to the Catedral de Nuestra Senior de la Almudena (what a mouthful!), I saw the same group of Chinese migrant workers next to a beautiful European building. They resettled to sell their fans on the street. I walked over and bought a red and orange fan for 2 Euros. Their faces lightened up when we spoke in Mandarin. It seems like the familiarity made a small difference in their daily struggle. It was a little piece of home.

San Lorenzo de El Escorial, which looks like a fairytale castle, is where all of Spain’s royal families are laid to rest.

El Escorial, UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a monastery, a royal place, a museum and a school. King Philip II, the most pious king on all of Spain, built the palace for his father to rest his tomb. Now, this is where all of Spain’s royal families are laid to rest.

This enormous castle sits in the small town of San Lorenzo. It looks like it’s straight from a fairytale book. The streets are narrow but I love how the landscape appears between the pastel buildings.